Devotees congregate in Puri for Bahuda Rath Yatra on 9th day of festival

On the 9th day of the Jagannath Rath Yatra, the Bahuda Rath Yatra, or ‘Return Car Festival,’ is expected to commence on Wednesday, from Gundicha Temple to Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Thousands of devotees from all across the country and beyond gathered to dance and revel in anticipation of Lord Jagannath.
Every year, the Yath Ratra is celebrated on a great scale in Puri. This year’s festival would run well thanks to multi-layer security procedures. A devotee present at the Gundicha Temple for the Yatra in Puri spoke about the arrangements and resources spent on the manufacturing of the three chariots. He said that Lord Jagannath visits the temple once a year and stays there for seven days, after which he returns. He travels by chariot and spends two days on the road, and this is the time during which devotees are eager to seek his blessings.
“For the two days of the Lord’s travel, at least 5 crore rupees are spent on the manufacturing of his Rath. It takes around four to five months to make the chariot and 600 to 700 people are employed in the task. All of the Odisha administrative officials oversee the preparations,” said the devotee.
The Rath Yatra is one of the famous Hindu festivals celebrated across the world. The Yatra is associated with Lord Jagannath at Shri Kshetra Puri Dham in Odisha.
At Puri, idols of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings- elder brother Lord Balabhadra and younger sister Devi Subhadra installed on majestic chariots give darshan to the public and visit the Gundicha Temple.
The three chariots are pulled by lakhs of devotees from in front of the Singha Dwar of Jagannath Temple towards the Gundicha Temple. According to Puri Shree Mandir Administration about 13 lakh people participate in the chariot festival.
The Yatra started on June 20 from the Puri Jagannath temple and concluded at Shree Gundicha temple, covering nearly a 3-kilometre distance. The goddesses spent nine days at the Gundicha temple. They return to Shree Mandir on the identical chariots that they used during the ‘Bahuda Yatra’ on June 28.